28 Aug : Vol 25, #12 - UWA News staff magazine - The University of ...

16 UWAnewsTHELast WordBruce thompsonDirector, Facilities ManagementThe physical demands of a small cityTennis player, cyclist, hockey coach, father,husband and Director of Facilities Management:the work of our department, like my life, coversa multitude of areas.In many ways it covers anything to do with the physicalenvironment of the campus, which is similar to running asmall city.The physical demands are much the same: planning anddevelopment, building projects, maintenance, environmentalissues, security and parking, control of the central plant, careof the grounds, property management and more.These days we are very conscious of being sustainable inall our work practices. There is a terrifi c opportunity in theoverall management of the campus to run a whole series ofservices strategically such as effective use of energy, and totake this into account in everything we do, from the planningof a new building, its construction, its potential effect onpeople, traffi c and the environment of the campus, to themaintaining of the building, its air-conditioning, its cleaning,everything that is at the interface of people and buildings orother amenities.FM is also responsible for campus planning and propertymanagement and development.UWA currently has some exciting joint ventureopportunities with the State Government, such as Sunset(depending on whether the Bill is passed in Parliament thatwill allow us to develop it) and the Sports Park at McGillivrayOval as well as the development of a strong researchpresence in what could become world class health campusesat QE II and Fiona Stanley hospitals.In this sense FM contributes to meeting the vision ofUWA attaining a world ranking in the top 50 universitieswithin 50 years time.I really enjoy collaborating with a diverse range of peopleand skill sets to make things happen.This is one of the pleasures of working in a universityenvironment with people engaged in a rich range ofendeavours.My work echoes my life in some ways, with engagementin many areas. Recently I have been roped into hockey againas the onfi eld coach for the Uni 9s, my son’s team. He hasrecently taken a liking to the sport and loves scoring goals.I get quite a buzz working with the kids and helping themthrough their matches.I have become quite passionate abort cycling and investedin one of those lightweight carbon numbers which is apleasure to ride, and a quick spin around the rivers on theweekend is a great way to clear out the cobwebs.My enthusiasm for that side of my life spills over into myrole at the University. I have now been in the role as directorof Facilities Management for 10 months. It has been a terrifi cexperience and I have valued the support from the broad anddiverse FM team. I am very pleased that more people aroundthe campus are talking to us a lot more about future buildingneeds and how we could assist with other services in FM.It has also been a tremendous experience to be involvedin our new chemistry building, the University Club and thestart of construction of the New Business School.Other projects which have been different and fascinatingare the acquisition of UWA Claremont and the potentialacquirement of the Sunset site.Last but not least has been development of a new plan forour Sports Park in partnership with the State Government. Atthe end of this process, UWA will have access to one of thebest integrated sports precincts in Australia.Like the majority of staff, students and visitors to ourcampus, I get a great deal of pleasure from our beautifulgrounds, another area which comes under the wings ofFacilities Management. It is most satisfying to contribute to anenvironment which is regularly endorsed by University staff inthe Working life Surveys, and cited in tourism documentariesand magazines around the world.UWAnewsEDITOR/WRITER Lindy Brophy Tel: 6488 436 Fax: 6488 119Email: lindy.brophy@uwa.edu.auEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Colin Campbell-Fraser Tel: 6488 889 Fax: 6488 100Designed, typeset and printed by UniPrint, UWAUWAnews online: http://uwanews.publishing.uwa.edu.au/UniPrint 47341THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA • 8 AUGUST 006